Conservative Canadian MP launches petition to Defund Planned Parenthood

In 2006, the Canadian federal government made a pledge to allocate $18 million over four years to International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) – which, on a completely irrelevant tangent, is the Canadian agency I’ve always wanted to work for. CIDA does a significant amount of international aid work, so it’s not entirely illogical for them to be the filter through which this money is distributed. Further, the UNFPA – a branch of the UN – unequivocally states that reproductive health choices are a fundamental human right. This funding allows people access to reproductive health services where there is a severe drought.


This funding comes up for renewal December 31st.
So, my local hometown MP, Brad Trost of Saskatoon-Humboldt has decided it’s time the conservative party and its supporters stood up for this blatant misuse of funds (approx. 4.5 million/year), ignoring completely the fact that the CIDA has an annual budget of over 3 billion a year to support a variety of projects in sub-Saharan Africa with nary a muffled cry in protest.
So clearly this is entirely about tax dollars supporting abortion.
Except, Trost is a MP in one of the provinces that still provincially funds abortion in private clinics in addition to federal funding of abortions under medicaid in hospitals and I have yet to hear a peep about that…
So then what is it Brad? Oh! It’s because the IPPF charter does not “support physicians’ freedom to practice according to their conscience and/or religious beliefs regarding abortion referral.”
*coughbullshitcough*
So, you don’t like the fact that the IPPF believes medical professionals not willing to provide Birth Control, Contraceptives or Abortion should be required to, at the very LEAST, provide a referral? Jeez, that is a pretty terrible burden for them to have to carry, especially in developing nations where access to ANY doctor is probably the very first barrier to reproductive health services. So really… let’s make this even harder, shall we?
Trost has posted a petition on his website trying to garner support for this defunding initiative. There you have it, ladies: another dude telling us of the lady-brain persuasion that having control over the ability to plan our own families, our own futures, our own lives is not as important as funding well-building or vaccinations, despite all studies to the contrary that say women with reproductive health options live longer, more productive lives and have children who are more likely to have better access to education and in turn, contribute to the growth and improvement of their respective nation’s economic improvement. Let me catch my breath and say that again. Access to reproductive health is proven to improve the conditions of women and their families living in developing nations. If you wanna talk about returns on dollars invested, reproductive health services is almost as effective as micro credit loans.
Dear Brad: Take a few hours of your life to get informed about the realities of women’s rights in international development before you go running your mouth about what’s “best for the poor womenz”.
Dear readers: I encourage Canadians everywhere to contact Mr. Trost and let him know you won’t stand for his interference with international reproductive health services. Contact the CIDA’s minister to encourage them to continue their work in providing family planning choices for those living in poverty. Tell PM Harper that you fully support the funding of International aid projects, including funding the IPPF and UNFPA. And please, let your representative know where you stand on reproductive health issues, in the event that Trost’s petition actually has an impact on Canadian Politics.
Brad Trost, MP (Saskatoon-Humboldt)
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
Phone: (613) 992-8052
E-mail: trostb@parl.gc.ca
Bev Oda, MP (Durham) and Minister of International Cooperation
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
Phone: (613) 992-2792
Fax: (613) 992-2794
Email: Oda.B@parl.gc.ca
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa
K1A 0A2
Fax: 613-941-6900
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca

Disclaimer: This post was written by a Feministing Community user and does not necessarily reflect the views of any Feministing columnist, editor, or executive director.

I'm a 25 year old small business owner trying to make in Alberta. Majoring in International development with a minor in Gender and Sexuality studies means I (try to be) fully involved in activism in my community and globally. My biggest interests lie in the areas of reproductive and sexual health, and access to services. And of course, ranting endlessly about the shambles that politics where I live, both federally and provincially, are starting to fail the public in the name of sating business enterprise. Weird, considering that I'm a greedy corporate bastard myself. ^_^

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